Le Marche: Italy’s culinary hidden gem – a tour into its cuisine

Beautiful seaside towns and resorts, long beaches for summer vacations, stunning countryside for walking tours and a strong seafood culinary tradition: Le Marche is all of that and much more. Nestled between the Adriatic shore and the Appennines ranges, the Italian region features typical food coming both from the inland and the seaside. For your next holidays in Italy, think about cooking vacations or gastronomic tours in Le Marche and don’t forget to taste the following recommended dishes.

Emilia Delizia organises culinary food tours in Le Marche region, if your group would like to discover the food, wine and majestic landscape of this region, our company would be delighted to put together an itinerary to die for. Emilia Delizia also organises cooking classes focussing on traditional dishes suchs as Vincisgrassi, Brodetto all’Anconetana, and the cripsy Olive all’Ascolana.

Sirolo – The Conero Bay – great landscapes are awaiting for you in Le Marche – source

Try Vincisgrassi, a special kind of lasagne.

If you want to try lasagne as you have never tasted, Vincisgrassi is the traditional first course from Le Marche that you was looking for.
The recipe was first cited by Antonio Nebbia in his book “Il cuoco Maceratese” in 1783. As you many guess by the title, the recipe must have been created in the town of Macerata, but you can find it in many other tourist destinations of Le Marche. It seems to be named after Windischgratz, the Austrian general who is told to have enthusiastically eaten it after a victorious battle against Napoleon.
The secret which makes Vincisgrassi such a delicious dish, must be the flavourful tomato sauce placed among the layers of pasta since it is enriched with ragù made from pork, veal and chicken. If that wasn’t enough mushrooms and truffles are added to give a plentiful savour.
Order Vincisgrassi lasagne as main course in any typical restaurant in Le Marche region… every bite will be a mouthwatering experience for your palate!

Crisp olive all’ascolana – Stuffed and fried olives.

Large, crunchy, stuffed: they are “olive all’ascolana”, a delicacy of Le Marche region which received the DOP recognition in 2005. This famous appetizer can be ordered at restaurants, bars, pubs and you can find them listed in the Antipasto or Aperitivo section since Ascolana olives are used to be served as an antipasto along with other fried snacks or as finger food in cocktail hours.
The soft crisp external part hides a green olive and a heart of meat. You could even find the recipe to prepare it at home but… don’t make it that simple! The authentic recipe dating from the seventeenth century uses exclusively olives ascolane tenere – from Ascoli indeed – filled with pork, veal, chicken and vegetables.

Flavourful Brodetto all’Anconetana – A fish soup that you will never forget.

If you drop by the coastal towns of San Benedetto del Tronto, Ancona, Porto Recanati and Fano, you will be overwhelmed by the unique flavour of seafood coming from any restaurant, as you have a nice stroll in those quaint villages. So don’t think twice, time has come for you to stop and taste the regional delicacy Brodetto all’anconetana. This tasteful fish soup cooked with 13 or more different varieties of seafood – including mullet and cuttlefish – is a local tradition as old as fishing. Expert chefs in any Le Marche town have created signature versions of Brodetto all’anconetana, giving the opportunity to make an unforgettable gourmet journey. It is recommended to savour Brodetto with the DOC white wine Verdicchio, which best emphasises its characteristics.
Don’t miss to try other typical seafood dishes such as Stoccafisso all’anconetana (salted fish) and Mosciolo (mussel).

If you would like to breath the fresh air of unspoilt countryside and learn more about food traditions in Le Marche, book great gastronomic excursions or tasting tours in this region bordering Emilia Romagna.

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